Magical eucalyptus and pine forests, sandy beaches and spectacular cliffs – the simple yet beautifully designed Monte Velho Eco Resort is located in a peaceful setting right in the heart of the San Vicente Natural Park, Portugals West-Algarve. This retreat is an invitation to explore the richness of ashtanga yoga while having enough space to enjoy the sun on the beach, go for a surf or just chill in the hammock on your terrace.

Each morning will begin with quiet reflection and development of the breath. Followed by a combination of conducted and Mysore style classes which will accommodate and extend practitioners of all levels. The afternoon classes will support the morning practice and will cover fundamentals of asana, bandha, pranayama, yoga philosophy, chanting and stillness. Dena's authentic and holistic approach; inspire a passion for self-discovery and reflection. This will be further enhanced by a full day of silence and fresh juices in each week.

Dena has been studying and practicing traditional ashtanga yoga for over 27 years. She is one of Sri K.Pattabhi Jois's most advanced female students. Having completed the fourth series in 1996 she is certified by the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute of Mysore South India to teach this method. Jack and Dena were married by Guruji in 1997. The arrival of Zoli currently 12 and Izac now 9 has completed the family picture. The path of motherhood has added a gentle compassion to Dena’s disciplined yet lyrical style of teaching. Assisted by Jack, family warmth and a love of the practice shine through to create a safe yet provoking class atmosphere. All classes will be taught in english.

The Monte Velho Eco Resort is situated on a hill with 360 degree panoramic view in the San Vicente National Park on the west coast of the Algarve. The colorfully decorated suites are very spacious with one bedroom, another bed/living-room and a bathroom. Each suite has its own terrace with daybed and hammock ... plenty of room to relax. After the morning-practice there will be breakfast, later on followed by a light lunch and a dinner in the evening. All meals are vegetarian, based as much as possible on the delicious local & organic produce. On friday after week one there is breakfast only with rest of the day available to explore and the night is open for dining out together. The day of silent practice is accompanied by healthy juices. 

The resort is on a large nature plot with plenty of walking tracks and places to retreat and enjoy nature. The spa has a massage room, sauna and steam bath and you can choose between holistic massage, physiotherapy & Accupuncture treatments. The small village of Carrapateira with cafés and restaurants is about 4 km away. On the beaches (Amado, just 5 km away) you can enjoy the sun or you go surfing in the waves (material and surfing lessons can be booked locally). www.montevelhoecoretreats.com/

FULL RETREAT: June 29th to July 12th 

- 2 weeks of yoga with Dena (12 morning & - 8 afternoon-classes incl. 2 days of silence)

- 13 nights accomodation at Monte Velho incl. vegetarian food & 2 juice-days

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€ 1.935,- Euro in a triple-suite (sharing with two other persons)

€ 2.115,- Euro in a double-suite (sharing with one person)

€ 2.570,- Euro in a single-suite (limited availability)

Non-Residential: € 1.335,- including Yoga + all meals, staying off-site*

ONE WEEK OPTION: June 29th to July 5th OR July 6th - July 12th

- 1 week of yoga with Dena (6 morning & - 4 afternoon-classes incl. 1 day of silence)

- 6 nights accomodation at Monte Velho incl. vegetarian food & 1 juice-day.

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€ 1.070,- Euro in a triple-suite (sharing with two other persons)

€ 1.160,- Euro in a double-suite (sharing with one person)

€ 1.390,- Euro in a single-suite (limited availability)

Non-Residential: € 770,- including Yoga + all meals, staying off-site*

* Please see list of accomodation below.

The price is per person - not included is the journey to/from Monte Velho Resort which you need to organize yourself. Accompanying partner who don´t take part in the yoga pay additional € 100,- for taking one space. If you have any question please don´t hesitate to write us an E-Mail. And on the bottom of this page you find the registration form. 

Checkin: Saturday June 29th / July 6th, after 3pm. Welcome dinner for everyone at 7.30 pm.

Yoga: Sunday - Friday each week.

Ceckout: Friday 12th (or 5th) by 12.00 pm.

You are required to organize your own journey to and from Monte Velho.

Flights: The nearest airport is Faro, about 1 hr 20 min drive from Monte Velho Eco Resort. Lisbon is about 3,5 hrs drive away. Flights to Lisbon are sometimes cheaper than to Faro but only make sense if you stay for at least one night in Lisbon, which we can definetely recommend. 

Accomodation before / after the retreat:

It is not possible to stay at Monte Velho before/after the retreat.

In Lisbon: Lisbonstory Guesthouse, Travellers House, appartments & city-Infos at lissabon-altstadt (3 daily classes of Ashtanga Yoga in central Lisbon with our friend Isa at Casa Vinyasa). On the way south along the Rotavicentina you find beautiful accomodation at casasbrancas.

Accomodation in Carrapateira, close to Monte Velho :

Beautiful Bead+Breakfast:http://www.montedavilarinha.com/

Sweet familystyle guesthouses: http://www.pensao-das-dunas.pt/ and Casa Bamboo

Hotel: http://www.casafajara.com/

Appartments: http://www.carrapateirasurf.com/, idyllicholidayproperties, http://www.montedosapeiro.com/

Rental car: We strongly recommend to book a rental car! You can see the ocean from Monte Velho Resort and it´s only 4 km linear distance to the beach but the hike through the bush still takes at least 50 minutes - with the car you´ll have sand between your toes in 10min. The rental car also gives you flexibility on your whole journey and in the end it is always cheaper than the total amount you would pay for train/ bus tickets, taxi+transfer. Good deals for rental cars are offered e. g. by Cardelmar or autoeurope and many other companies. We also help organizing car-sharing with other participants. Detailed driving directions to Monte Velho will be given shortly before the retreat.

For those who have no driving license and don´t have the option to rent a car, we can organize a transfer from Faro airport (One way is €95 / if two persons share it´s 47,50 each etc.). If you come from Lisbon you can go by bus to Lagos and we organize a transfer from there (€ 35,- one way) - on Lisbon airport you take the airshuttle 96 to Sete Rios busstation and then the Rede Expresso Bus to Lagos (timetable: rede-expresso )

Monte Velho Eco Resort on Google-Maps

Do you have any questions, want to make sure there is a space available? Please send uns an E-mail. We reply within 24 hrs, usually much quicker.

After submitting ("absenden") the Registration Form you will receive a confirmation via E-Mail. Amongst others it contains our bank details: We ask you to transfer a deposit of € 400,- so that it reaches our account within 5 days or else we need to cancel your booking (please also read the terms & conitions on the bottom of this page).

We are looking forward to seeing you soon :)!